Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley) was a patriot who carried pitchers of water to soldiers and helped with cannon duty during the American Revolution's Battle of Monmouth.
During the Revolutionary War it was common at the time for wives to be near their husbands in battle and help as needed. Molly's husband, William Hays, was a gunner in the Continental Army. Molly joined her husband at Valley Forge, where she and other camp followers served as water carriers, bringing water to troops who were drilling on the field. Also, artillerymen needed a constant supply of fresh water to cool down the hot cannon barrel, and to soak the sponge on the end of the ramrod, the long pole which was used to clean sparks and gunpowder out of the barrel after each shot. It was during this time that she probably received her nickname, as troops would shout, "Molly! Pitcher!" whenever they needed her to bring fresh water.
At the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, the weather was hot, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Molly attended to the Revolutionary soldiers by giving them water. She also tended to the wounded and even carried a crippled soldier to safety on her back. On her next trip with water, she found her husband wounded. Molly stepped forward and took his place at the cannon. For the rest of the day, in the heat of battle, Molly continued to "swab and load" the cannon using her husband's ramrod. At one point, a British musket ball or cannonball flew between her legs and tore off the bottom of her skirt. Molly supposedly said something to the effect of, "Well,that could have been worse," and went back to loading the cannon. After the battle, General Washington asked about the woman whom he had seen loading a cannon on the battlefield. In commemoration of her courage, he issued her a warrant as a non-commissioned officer. Afterwards, she was known as "Sergeant Molly," a nickname that she used for the rest of her life.